Sweitzer, 41, of the first block of Creekside Drive, East Prospect, said he is a founding member of S & S, a York-based weather-watching group.

Not that bouncing a $5,300 check is small potatoes, but he said his recent transactions with a bank — now deemed criminal by Pennsylvania State Police — have nothing to do with S & S Storm Chasers, an organization for which Sweitzer volunteers.

Sweitzer, 41, of the first block of Creekside Drive, East Prospect, said he is a founding member of S & S, a York-based weather-watching group. The group's Facebook page boasts more than 190,000 followers and at least eight businesses as sponsors.

"That (the bounced check) has nothing to do with S&S; it's a personal account," he said, adding that the individual who paid him the $5,300 was buying a vehicle from him.

Sweitzer said he would not name the person who wrote the check.

"Somebody bounced a check on us, and we have to pay the bank," he said.

Despite Sweitzer's insistence that he was an unwitting participant, state police say he "intentionally obtained" the money by "creating or reinforcing a false impression, namely that he was using a legitimate bank account that would cover the funds needed for a cashed check," documents state.

State police investigate

State police began investigating on Oct. 5 when the BB&T branch at 1 S. Main St., East Prospect, called about Sweitzer and the bounced check, according to charging documents.

The bank manager told police that about 5:55 p.m. on Sept. 7, Sweitzer, who is a customer of the bank, made a request for a $5,300 business check to be cleared. The check, from Northwest Savings Bank, was made out to Sweitzer, documents state.

He told the branch manager he was leaving for North Carolina the next day and "that he needed the check cleared before his departure," documents state.

"The manager knew that the Defendant worked for S&S Storm Chase Team LLC and that he would be covering Hurricane Florence," documents state. "An agreement was reached where the funds would be cleared for 9/8/18 and the Defendant would return Saturday morning to retrieve $3000 of the $5300."

Sweitzer said he did ask the teller how long it would take for the check to clear and that he mentioned he was headed to North Carolina, but insisted there was no "agreement."

"I have no idea why the officer listed it that way," he said, although he added, "I did ask the teller to clear it because I was going down to North Carolina."

Funds withdrawn

According to state police, on Sept. 8, Sweitzer withdrew $3,000 from his BB&T account and the remainder, $2,300, was wired out of the account, although documents do not state exactly when that occurred.

On Sept. 10, BB&T Bank learned that the account from which the $5,300 check had been written had been closed and that the check bounced, documents state.

Sweitzer was arraigned on charges of theft by deception and bad checks. He was released after posting a percentage of his $10,000 bail and now is scheduled for a preliminary hearing before District Judge John H. Fishel on Oct. 24.